I have reached a point in my professional, volunteer and academic career where I realize that  in order to affect the kind of changes that I feel addresses the greatest, most pressing needs in healthcare disparities, particularly with regards to maternal health, I need to enter into an academic relationship with America’s finest institution of public service.  By conducting doctoral research in public administration, I will be completely prepared to attend to these healthcare disparities, working in education and with the appropriate governmental sectors to bring about real change.

In order to bring my goals to fruition and breathe necessary relevance into them, I will need to engage in intensive reviews of published and upcoming literature and research, as well as focused research that investigates and considers innovative methods of managing and providing public health services to developing nations.  The objective of my research is to explore, understand and develop ways of addressing contemporary healthcare issues and the complications posed by healthcare disparities in developing nations, focusing on maternal health.

 There is an increasing annual trend, worldwide, despite medical advances, of women dying in childbirth.  In 1985, the WHO estimated half-a-million women died in childbirth.  Twenty years later, that number has increased seven percent, with developing nations having statistics as disturbing as 1 in 8 women dying in childbirth in Sierra Leone, as opposed to, for example, 1 in 170, 000 in Sweden.  This is wrong.  To quote UNICEF, I, too, believe in zero.  However, to read these statistics is to know only a fraction of the reality.

 Having been born - against the odds apparently – lived, worked and educated in Uganda, I have seen firsthand the extent of epidemics spawned from preventable complications caused by healthcare disparities.  For almost twenty years, I worked as a part of a multidisciplinary healthcare team in the MulagoHospital in Kamapala, Uganda as a nurse and midwife.  During that time, I slowly developed my understanding that the root cause of these startling statistics is in the delivery of health services in developing nations.  My experiences have shown me that while a lack of resources compounds the problem, the solutions lie not in a handout, but in developing public policy, and strategy.  There needs to be a concerted effort to utilize continuous research, networking, collaboration and innovations to find new methods within public policy to bring about sustainable change in the provision of health services, and human resource capacity levels development system wide.  The concept of sustainability is critical to this development.  Healthcare challenges come and go.  Therefore, even the most developed health service delivery systems must maintain train a watchful and constant eye towards developing improvements to cope with challenges as they emerge.  This is the impetus and goal for my Ph.D. studies.

 For the future, I anticipate working as a professor in a quality institution of higher education, one in which there are ample opportunities and facilities for conducting independent research into the cessation or minimization of maternal mortality and morbidity rate in developing nations.  The ideal environment would allow me to conduct research into analyzing global health care policies and advising governmental officials on current health issues and trends, highlighting and addressing the most critical areas of the globe through seminars, symposiums and workshops; my ability to speak five languages competently will aid me tremendously in multinational endeavors.  There is, therefore, a multiplicative effect in improving systemic, institutional and human capacities for sustaining the improvement of the provision of maternal health services in developing nations, including the designing of public health delivery policies and strategies.

 It is my understanding that experts in higher educational institutions are frequently called upon by government policy makers for expert advice in specific areas.  It is one of my objectives to serve as a provider of relevant and current thought to such policy makers, public services, and other health-service delivery institutions on matters related to improving, among other matters, maternal health services.

 The XXXX School has over seven decades of conceptual continuity in public service academics, consistently leading the nation in public policy education, if not setting a world standard and is my sole choice for further education.  Furthermore, the School has exactly the courses that I require, and is famed for creating an educational environment that places a greater emphasis on diversity of not only student body, but also curriculum than any other school in America.  I anticipate my educational experience being thoroughly enriched through my exposure to the activities and projects being developed in the XXXX Center for Health and Public Service Research (CHPSR).  The opportunity to be educated by and collaborate with XXXX School’s faculty, involved in current research in the CHPSR is one that I could not possibly acquire at any other school – exactly the relevant exposure that I crave, and desire. 

 I bring to the XXXX School not only extensive healthcare experience, but also training in social work and social administration.  My maturity, multinational experiences, travels throughout Africa and multidisciplinary background will lend itself ideally to the public administration program and enrichment of the student body.  More than this, the school’s location in the bustling, dynamic, urban environment of New York City, allows for unparalleled access to resources, and chances for further involvement and development over and above the academic experience. 

I look forward to the opportunity to develop myself as a creative leader for effective and sustainable public administration.  Your time and consideration is greatly appreciated and I eagerly await a personal interview.